Takedown Report

National Wrestling News 2021 – # 1

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Some insights upon how others are adjusting to the pandemic as it has an impact on our sport are featured in articles (#1, 2, 7, 9 & 10). The new wrestling movie is discussed in articles #3, 5 & 6. A look at the background and development of the great USA wrestler from University of Nebraska, Jordan Burroughs is included (#4) and the final results of the new Regional Training Camp Duals. (#8).
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1 } – Wrestling with COVID-19: Coaches focused on keeping wrestlers safe during pandemic
Programs deal with various effects from coronavirus
Monday was supposed to be the first date for competition for high school wrestling programs across Iowa. For some teams, it will still mark the start that will be far from normal. For others, it will remain another idle in a year where no opportunity will be taken for granted. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact all walks of life, wrestling programs face a season filled with new procedures, fluctuating schedules and safety concerns on a daily basis. Most coaches have altered their regular routines and habits in an attempt to juggle the seriousness of the disease and limit risk to athletes. “People say it’s going to be different,” West Delaware Coach Jeff Voss said. “Wrestling is a sport where you have to adjust and adapt all the time. From that standpoint, it’s not different. We’re just responding to different events than in the past.”
The coronavirus canceled spring sports in Iowa and delayed the start of baseball and softball as Iowa eventually became the first state to return to high school athletics competition. Play continued into the fall with volleyball being the first indoor sport. The Iowa High School Athletic Association … rest of story at ^{https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/wrestling-with-covid-19-coaches-focused-on-keeping-wrestlers-safe-during-pandemic-20201129?mc_cid=ac95ae6b76&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

2 } – Lehigh Valley wrestlers willing to do whatever it takes to have a season amid COVID-19 pandemic
Jon Trenge’s college wrestling career nearly ended because of a detached retina. Wearing goggles while he competed allowed him to finish as Lehigh’s career wins leader with 133. The goggles also created apprehension and concern for his safety. “The goggles were like a windshield with Vaseline rubbed all over them because of all the sweat,” said Trenge, who is in his second season as head coach at Parkland, his alma mater. “You could see up close, but when you got your head tilted down and you tried to look up toward the legs, it was hard to see.”
Trenge’s goggles were part of a five-point harness associated with his headgear, which often got pulled on by opponents. The three-time All-American at Lehigh said masks serve as a similar distraction for wrestlers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Masks are required in all social settings, though the state’s mandate does allow for athletes to remove them to avoid creating a medical problem or further damaging an existing one. Parkland wrestlers are wearing masks at all times during practices, which began Nov. 20, the first allowable winter sports practice date according to the PIAA — the state’s governing body for high school athletics. … rest of story at ^{https://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/wrestling/mc-spt-lehigh-valley-wrestling-masks-on-20201201-5gkou3q6tfe6tnc7xojyphrvmq-story.html?mc_cid=2514c7e76e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

3 } – Former Mepham High School wrestler films aspiring athletes for YouTube series
A former Wellington C. Mepham High School wrestler has returned to the mat — this time with different equipment. In September, Alexander Pekoff, of Bellmore, launched “THE GRIND!” on YouTube, a reality television series documenting the journeys of young wrestlers who train at Dynamic Wrestling Academy in Hauppauge. Jason Layton, who coached Pekoff when he was starting out in the sport, owns the facility. “I met Alex when he was in seventh grade as his private coach for wrestling,” Layton said. “He was an amazing athlete to coach and among the hardest workers I’ve known.” Pekoff, 23, is now translating that work ethic into filmmaking, which he took up as a hobby last summer, he said. “THE GRIND!” follows a handful of Layton’s athletes — ages five to 12 — as they train, compete and evolve in the wrestling world. “We’re hoping it shows what philosophies worked, what didn’t, who ends up becoming the champion and who ends up burning out in 10th grade,” he said. “I wrestled for about six years and loved it, but it taught me a lot of discipline.” Pekoff’s long-term goal for the project is to eventually document the wrestlers’ rise … rest of story at ^{https://www.liherald.com/stories/former-mepham-high-school-wrestler-films-aspiring-athletes-for-youtube-series,129039?mc_cid=2514c7e76e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

4 } – Five things to know about Olympic wrestling champion Jordan Burroughs
The USA star has won four world championships, but did you know that he had a tough start at the University of Nebraska? More on that, and why he is so popular in Iran!
Jordan Burroughs is the golden boy of freestyle wrestling, in every sense of the word.
The New Jersey-born grappler first gained notoriety at college as a two-time NCAA champion, before securing a US record 69-consecutive matches to start his Senior career. That streak included 74kg Olympic gold for Team USA at London 2012, while he also won four-consecutive world championships titles from 2011-2017.
Burroughs’ social media profiles can all be found under the handle @alliseeisgold, a statement which has often become a manifestation. However, a rare road bump at the Rio 2016 Olympics saw him finish outside of the medals. Despite having already won everything the sport has to offer, he returned to the mat hungrier than ever for success, which speaks volumes of his inner drive. Now 32-years-old, his only goal is to win gold again at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. But how well do you know the American wrestler? … rest of story at ^{https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/features/detail/five-facts-usa-wrestling-jordan-burroughs/?mc_cid=2514c7e76e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

5 } – ‘The Last Champion’ was family affair for Hallie Todd
(KGET) — It was easy for the three screenwriters for the feature film “The Last Champion” – available through digital platforms starting Dec. 8 – to deal with the family elements of the story. The three writers are all related. Along with director Glenn Withrow, the tale of a disgraced athlete returning to his hometown was co-written by Hallie Todd (his wife) and Ivy Withrow (their daughter). “It’s been a wall-to-wall experience for however long we have been working on this,” Todd says. “It is our baby. We would go to bed talking about it and wake up in the morning talking about it.” The elements Todd, her husband and daughter would discuss started with the family elements. That was mixed with sports action (sparked by the director’s own high school wrestling days) and a love story. The result is the journey of John Wright (Cole Hauser), a hometown hero who found fame through high school wrestling. One bad decision ends is athletic dreams. A tragedy brings him home 20 years later and to the one place where he might find redemption. … rest of story at ^{https://www.kget.com/community/ricks-reviews/the-last-champion-was-family-affair-for-hallie-todd/?mc_cid=29548697b5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

6 } – ‘Very serendipitous’: Feel-good movie filmed in Eastern Wash. is set for release
A feel-good movie filmed in Eastern Washington is about to be released. “The Last Champion” is about a small-town Olympic wrestler who seeks redemption. It was filmed before COVID, but the pandemic is having an impact on the actors and on a local wrestler on track to make it to the Tokyo Olympics. The movie stars Cole Hauser as an Olympic wrestler who had his medal taken away. He returns to his small Eastern Washington town years later and ends up coaching the high school team. One of the actors is Michael John Madden, who wrestled for White River High School in Buckley 11 years ago. “It was really cool for it to be in Washington,” said Madden, “It was very serendipitous. It was 2016 when we filmed it.” … rest of story at ^{https://komonews.com/news/local/very-serendipitous-feel-good-movie-filmed-in-eastern-wash-is-set-for-release?mc_cid=29548697b5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

7 } – Wrestling Officials are Keeping Up with Today’s Action & Rules
By John Johnson
Over the past five years, we have seen a huge change in many of the wrestling rules to help keep the action flowing; with the out-of-bounds rule having the biggest impact on keeping action flowing on the mat. But there have been other rule changes that many feel have hindered the flow of wrestling matches and the fan experience, such as the video review and other new rules that require match stoppage.
Let’s drill down even deeper and look at wrestling rule changes at the collegiate level and how the changes have impacted the world of an official. When you stop and think of a wrestling match and terms from 10 years ago, you would not have heard terms such as the drop-down rule and count, video challenge, control of mat, clasping, hands-to-the-face, neutral danger zone, one-supporting-point takedowns, hand-touch takedown, neutral stalling, takedown rule changes (hand touch, reaction time, out of bounds), overtime procedures, video challenges, third-party independent reviewer, four-point near-fall, concussion protocol and much more! One of the nation’s top collegiate wrestling officials is Dr. Mike McCormick, who graduated from The Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry in 1997, and has been practicing general dentistry in Hampton, Va., since then. McCormick has officiated every Pac 12 tournament since 1996 and every Big Ten tournament since 1997. He was also selected to officiate at every NCAA Division I tournament since 1995 and the cancelled NCAAs in Minneapolis last March would have been No. 26. He was selected as the liaison by the NCAA to the NCAA Rules Committee in 2007 and 2008 and is an active member of the National Wrestling Officials Association, and has been the president of the NWOA since 2014. Mike, along with his father, Dr. Pat McCormick, are members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in officiating. Mike and his dad are the first father-son combo to be in the NWHOF. In addition to his impressive career as a referee, McCormick has numerous other accomplishments. He has been the college director of the prestigious Virginia Duals tournament since 1993. … rest of story at ^{https://www.win-magazine.com/2020/12/03/wrestling-officials-are-keeping-up-with-todays-action/?mc_cid=29548697b5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wrestling-officials-are-keeping-up-with-todays-action}

8 } – Wolverines Fuel Cliff Keen WC Victory at Inaugural RTC Cup
CINCINNATI, Ohio — The University of Michigan wrestling team, including fifth-year senior Logan Massa, graduate student Myles Amine and junior Mason Parris, provided the primary firepower for the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club’s team championship at the inaugural RTC Cup team title on Saturday evening (Dec. 5) at the Duke Energy Convention Center. The Cliff Keen Wrestling Club (CKWC) is Michigan’s RTC, or Regional Training Center, a USA Wrestling-sanctioned training site for Olympic hopefuls that operates parallel and in conjunction with a college wrestling program. This weekend’s RTC Cup featured RTC squads from Cornell, Minnesota, NC State, Ohio State, Princeton and Virginia Tech. The CKWC posted a perfect 4-0 weekend record and defeated the combined squad of Southeast RTC and New Jersey RTC, four matches to two, in the championship final. Parris clinched the dual win in the final bout, rolling to a 12-1 technical superiority over Lehigh All-American Jordan Wood at 125kg/275 pounds. Parris, a 2018 junior freestyle world champion, scored the bulk of his points over a 12-second sequence in the first period, using a single leg for a takedown then taking Wood feet-to-back with it for four points and adding two more off a subsequent fireman’s dump. Parris tacked on two more scores in the second period, off a crotch lift and a match-ending reattack single at the 4:42 mark. Parris had only needed to avoid a pin or shutout tech in the final match after the CKWC reeled off three straight wins — from former Wolverine Alec Pantaleo, Massa and Amine — to all but assure the dual victory. Pantaleo went a perfect 4-0 on the weekend at 65kg/143 pounds and defeated Princeton All-American Matt Kolodzik, 8-6, … rest of story at ^{https://mgoblue.com/news/2020/12/6/wrestling-wolverines-fuel-cliff-keen-wc-victory-at-inaugural-rtc-cup.aspx?mc_cid=224601c412&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

9} – How do wrestling tournaments survive in a global pandemic?
Frank Popolizio typically doesn’t cry. It’s not that he is against crying, necessarily. It’s just not something to which Popolizio is accustomed. He’s a man who prides himself on getting things done regardless of circumstance or situation.  Popolizio’s zero-excuses philosophy and relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction have earned him high praise within the wrestling space. He makes his living with the four Cs: clubs, camps, clinics and competitions.  But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Popolizio was unable to execute on any of his Cs for 13 months.  On November 22, the toil of perceived failure finally took its toll on the owner of Journeymen Wrestling.   “I got one hour outside of the arena on Sunday night and I just started to cry. I cried. I literally cried,” Popolizo said. “I don’t even know why I cried. I don’t know. The pressure was so unbelievable. Just to provide for your family. This is what I do to provide for my family and I do 10 (tournaments) a year. I felt an unbelievable amount of obstacles.”
Obstacles have been omnipresent for tournament directors in 2020. USA Wrestling’s Pete Isais, NUWAY’s Dave Dean and Tyrant Wrestling’s Cory Frederick are among those who have felt the pandemic’s pinch while trying to organize events across the country.  Frederick, the founder and owner of Tyrant Wrestling, had several events scheduled in Pennsylvania, but constantly changing executive orders forced him to explore new locations and different venues.  Since March, all Tyrant-scheduled tournaments have operated with the exception of the Columbus Day Duals, which were slated for October. The tournament has been postponed but, … rest of story at ^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1607141306955&twSessionId=vcighfpsyn&postId=884875135&mc_cid=876213e0a7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

10 } – Steveson Defeats Gwiazdowski, 4-1, in Potential Olympic Trial Preview
In a potential preview of April’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Minnesota junior Gable Steveson defeated Nick Gwiazdowski, 4-1, at the 2020 RTC Cup in Cincinnati, Ohio. A two-time World bronze medalist, Gwiazdowski clinched the No. 1 seed at the trials prior to Steveson’s victory on Friday night. The RTC Cup is a dual-team tournament featuring six of the nation’s top regional training centers. Steveson, along with sophomore Brayton Lee, have joined several Minnesota alums as part of the Gopher Wrestling Club (GWC). … rest of story at ^{https://gophersports.com/news/2020/12/4/wrestling-steveson-defeats-gwiazdowski-4-1-in-potential-olympic-trial-preview.aspx?mc_cid=876213e0a7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

January 3, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized